My Uncle Wally Cook(army no 1880031) was in the 296 and captured when Tobruk fell. He was subsequently a POW in Italy - Bari then PG70 -before escaping on 27 Sept 1943 with his friend Jimmy Sargeant (army no 1883041). Wally is still going strong and in touch with another member of the 296 John Dyer. They were both wondering what became of one of their officers Leslie Jagger. Can anyone help? New to the forum so hope this posting is ok Mary
welcome Mary im sure some of the resident experts on here will point you in the right direction good luck
Welcome to the Forum, did they Escape through the Lines as I have no record of them in Switzerland. Brian
cant say its the same L Jagger but.... Name: W. L. Jagger Rank: Lieutenant Army Number: 220635 Regiment: Royal Engineers POW Number: 128804 Camp Type: Oflag Camp Number: IX-A/Z Camp Location: Rotenburg An Der Fulda, Hesse, Germany If it is, then his full name was / is Walter Leslie Jagger http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/35393/supplements/7302/page.pdf
Hi Brian No they escaped by acquiring a boat with some other escapees and managed to sail to an area alreay liberated by the British. They arrived just in time to see Vesuvious erupting! The incident is mention in the obituary of Arnold J Mott in the Daily Telegraph. Mary
Mary, there are two ways to go. One is to get in touch with the Ex P.O.W. Association and ask if they would print an appeal for any news. Two is to see if there is a Liberation Report at The National Archives which would be in WO344/160/1. This would give Home address in 1945 so the Town would be a starting point. After almost 65yrs both ways would be a long shot but might be worth persueing depending how badly you need the news. Unfortunately I will not be at Kew until sometime in January. Brian
My father, John Dyer, (passed away August 2013 just short of 96th birthday) and a couple of friends tried to find Leslie Jagger in the early fifties when they were forming a Benevolent Fund for 296. They were told in no uncertain terms to b***** off and not ask any more questions. Jagger surfaces in the book Maggie tried to ban - Spycatcher by Peter Wright - as an MI6 safecracker.
